So Tim Tebow is going to be a Philadelphia Eagle for the time being. So what?

Of all the issues this team is facing heading toward next week's NFL Draft, Tim Tebow — who was signed to a one-year deal Monday — taking up one of the 90 spots on the offseason roster is dead last. Absolutely dead last.

Their starting quarterback, presumably Sam Bradford, not being ready for minicamps? That's a bit of a concern.

Their starting left guard, presumably Evan Mathis, not attending the offseason conditioning program that began on Monday? That's an issue.

Replacing the production of departed receiver Jeremy Maclin? The answer will remain a hot-button issue for some time.

But Tebow? Nothing to concern ourselves with now or probably ever, since he likely won't still be here by the time the games begin to count in September.

Besides, adding Tebow actually could be a prudent and perhaps downright shrewd move by Kelly, considering the run-first offense we all know that he likes and a potential rule change this year that could have a huge impact on the league.

Kelly almost certainly is looking at Tebow as much more than a candidate to be his third quarterback. In fact, he might be looking at Tebow as anything but his third quarterback.

Tebow might have permanent throwing flaws that exist even after supposedly having them straightened out by renowned pitching coach/quarterback guru Tom House. But he remains an athlete, a 6-foot-2, 240-pound load of an athlete who's hard to bring down in the run game, is excellent in short-yardage situations and even owns a perfect TD record in his career on runs from 2 yards or less.

Should the league adopt a rule change that's under consideration in which kicking extra points after touchdowns would no longer be allowed, forcing teams to go for two all the time, would having a specialist like Tebow on the squad be so awful?

All the proposed rules changes will be voted on in May. So there's still time for the Eagles to get out of this. They're not locked into anything and there's no guaranteed money here.

There's more to consider.

Beyond a short-yardage specialist who is the kind of running threat in the read-option that none of the other quarterbacks on the roster is , how about having someone who could be, say, the personal protector on the punt team? Having Tebow back there would always keep opponents on their toes for a possible fake, perhaps making it easier for the coverage team.

Rickie Ricardo, the Spanish radio voice of the Eagles, made another compelling point Sunday evening. There have been times when the offense has had critical failures on third- or fourth-and-inches that could have made a difference in certain games. Inserting Tebow for those plays might have prevented those misplays and perhaps changed the course of playoff history.

Last year's ominous 24-20 defeat at Arizona was a perfect example. The game is remembered by most as having been lost when a poorly equipped and poorly coached secondary inexplicably allowed John Brown to catch a 75-yard TD bomb with 1:21 left that set the final score.

In reality, the tone was set on the previous series, when Kelly, admittedly spooked by 6-foot-6 Nick Foles being stuffed trying go over the top on a quarterback sneak more than a month earlier, instead called a running play for LeSean McCoy on third-and-microns from the Cardinals 2-yard line. That worked out as well as the sneak, and the Eagles then were forced to kick a field goal.

That game proved to be the difference in the Cardinals making the playoffs over the Eagles.

By the way, both of those players are gone, not to mention one of the offensive linemen, Todd Herremans, and another, Mathis, possibly following him out the door depending on how the new blood they're guaranteed to add in the draft performs this spring.

Also, three of the four starting defensive backs from that day have been jettisoned, position coach John Lovett reassigned to the scouting department and assistant secondary coach Todd Lyght nudged gently out the door by Kelly.

So you get the idea.

If you're not moving forward, you're moving backward, and bringing Tebow into a 90-player mix in April is nothing that's going to jam this new machine Kelly is trying to crank up into reverse.

Not yet.

Tebow may prove to be an asset to this team. If he doesn't, he'll be "outta here" faster than Harry Kalas used to exclaim it.